Narrative hook

A narrative hook (or hook) is a literary technique in the opening of a story that "hooks" the reader's attention so that he or she will keep on reading. The "opening" may consist of several paragraphs for a short story, or several pages for a novel, but ideally it is the opening sentence.

Examples

One of the most common forms is dramatic action, which engages the reader into wondering what the consequences of the action will be. This particular form has been recommended from the earliest days, stemming from Aristotle

The use of action as the hook, and the advice to so use it, is so widespread as to sometimes lead to the use of the term to mean an action opening, but other things can be used for narrative hooks, such mysterious settings, or engaging characters, or even a thematic statement, as with Jane Austen's opening line, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." (Pride and Prejudice)

In medias res

In medias res is where the relating of a story begins at the midpoint, rather than at the beginning. This form of story telling might be used as a narrative hook. Narrative hooks often play an important role in suspense thrillers and mystery fiction. An example of both these occurrences is One Thousand and One Nights, in which a tale, "The Three Apples," begins with the discovery of a young woman's dead body, thus keeping the reader interested in "who dunit."

See also

• Cold open
• Headline
• Lead paragraph
• Hook (filmmaking)